Hey guys. I have a secret love (a passion maybe even) for 22lrs. I can list the reasons why, but I think in this company I'd be wasting time; I'm pretty sure we 'get it'. But for some reason, it almost feels like a dirtly little secret, ya know? Case in point:

I recently went in to a local gun store and bought a bare bones 10/22. I plan to build it up to my tastes, tune it to drive nails and generally just turn it into one fine shooting machine. But I couldn't shake the sense of scorn from other customers in the shop. I'm a middle aged man of fairly large stature who yes, was in there buying a 10/22. No its not for my son, or my niece, or my grandma... its for me. Yes, it shoots a real caliber, no its not a toy and yes it is a real gun. I left the store almost feeling sheepish.

How do you guys get over the stigma? How do you measure your "little 22" against the bigger center fire calibers even just in your own head? Is it 'just a toy' to you too, or do you think of it differently?

Nothing is going to stop me from shooting and enjoying the hell out of my 22s. But I can't shake the feeling I'm somehow viewed as inferior for doing so. What about you, and how do you deal with it?

Screw what they think. Next time some macho-man makes a comment about how a 22lr is an underpowered toy or similar, tell him that you are not sure of the power it has and ask him to volunteer to be your next target to verify its stopping power.

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AL
CGF Contributor
NRA Golden Eagle
Being north of 65 has definite advantages: I was able to do all my stupid stuff before video cameras, smartphones, utube, and the internet.

I hate 22's. My SW 422 is wore out and doesnt shoot anymore. My SW617 is so accurate it is boring. My GSG is too 1911 like. My 10/22 is just another pretty face in the safe. My Volquartsen is not here yet. Damn 22's.

I've got enough in various calibers. My 22 is still my favorite for practice and fun. I'm accurate and I can afford to shoot it all day long. Having more than one means I don't wear out one prematurely. Having more than three means more of the same. And when other people are making fun and then complaining of ammo prices, take your $20 and buy 500 rounds and tell them if they want to find you, you'll be on the range...

my brother and i have a standing joke between us about some of the clientele and some of the employees seen and encountered in gun shops:

it seems like they're all ex-SEALs, ex-marines, ex-LE, ex-mercenaries, ex-rangers/paratroopers or ex-FBI/ICE/BP...and it seems like you always encounter the ones that will ask "What caliber XXXXXXX you got? oh...just a .44? i got a .45..."

When I first got into firearms a few years ago, I thought the same thing. "A .22? Oh, please, might as well just shoot a kiddie BB-gun!"

Then I actually tried one. My mind changed very quickly.

Shortly thereafter, a 10/22 somehow followed me home. I affectionately call it, "The Assault .22" because, of course, it's "capable of accepting a High Capacity Clip"! This rifle is just plain fun to shoot, and it's tough to beat one for harvesting small game like rabbits and such. Ammo for it is dirt-cheap, too. I cannot think of a better rifle to use for practicing marksmanship fundamentals than a .22LR of some sort.

So, how do you deal with the "stigma"? Whoever doesn't like your choice of firearm is free to purchase a so-called "real gun" in a so-called "real caliber" for you with their money if they think it's so important. Anybody who opens their mouths at you like that, I suggest you consider mentioning that option to 'em. Oh, and they can buy your "real caliber" ammo for you, too. Until they do, just keep thinking of how much fun your .22 is to shoot, and how much easier on the wallet it is than their so-called "real guns".

my brother and i have a standing joke between us about some of the clientele and some of the employees seen and encountered in gun shops:

it seems like they're all ex-SEALs, ex-marines, ex-LE, ex-mercenaries, ex-rangers/paratroopers or ex-FBI/ICE/BP...and it seems like you always encounter the ones that will ask "What caliber XXXXXXX you got? oh...just a .44? i got a .45..."

Yeah, I hear ya. And the funniest part about that for those wannabe-macho types is that typically they mean 185-gr to 230-gr .45 ACP, a low-velocity, low-pressure round. I've found most ".44" shooters are typically shooting .44 Magnum, not .44 Special, and they're shooting at least 240gr projectiles and often 300-grainers, so these wannabe-ninjas even lose on the "oooh, my round's bigger/more powerful" count, too.

I happen to collect and shoot .22lr more than anything else. You'll get the look from the guys who think anything less than a .308 is childs play. When I go to the range or shoot with friends they're usually blasting away with their AR's and AK's and barely able to hit paper while I'm hitting the 1" shoot-n-c pasters with consecutive rounds from my .22's.

I enjoy giving them "the look" when we go up to change or check targets and they realize theirs looks like a bunch of birdshot all over the paper and i can cover mine with a quarter.

I learned to shoot on a .22 and those fundamentals transfer over to larger caliber guns. I'd rather be able to hit what I'm aiming at consecutively and accurately than just blast away with a larger round.

I happen to collect and shoot .22lr more than anything else. You'll get the look from the guys who think anything less than a .308 is childs play. When I go to the range or shoot with friends they're usually blasting away with their AR's and AK's and barely able to hit paper while I'm hitting the 1" shoot-n-c pasters with consecutive rounds from my .22's.

I enjoy giving them "the look" when we go up to change or check targets and they realize theirs looks like a bunch of birdshot all over the paper and i can cover mine with a quarter.

I learned to shoot on a .22 and those fundamentals transfer over to larger caliber guns. I'd rather be able to hit what I'm aiming at consecutively and accurately than just blast away with a larger round.

This is it exactly! A hit with a .22 is still a hit, while a miss with a .308 is still a miss...

I can spend all day at Laguna Seca on the steel course and even play with the 300yd gong if I want. Or I can spend all day on the tin can range at Los Altos rapid firing.

Can't rapid fire the 9mm at any ranges nearby, and I'd be spending 5x as much on ammo.

Also, my wife likes 22's, so we go out together, and that's a huge plus for me. Even my mother said that our 22's were cute and she'd be willing to go sometime. So they seem fairly female-friendly which could be a good thing if you're trying to introduce a girlfriend to your hobbies.

I agree with dannyinsocal. Let them talk. They are all closset 22 lovers in my book. I would say more than half my friends that give me crap about my 10/22 end up asking if they can try it out. after they have gone through all there ammo/$$$ of course. I remind them of the trash talk while they have the time of there life with my lil 10/22...

There is no stigma. I'm having a good time and improving my skills every time I bring out a .22 to shoot, whether it's a 10/22, a vintage Remington or Mossberg, or dedicated rimfire AR. And, best of all, I'm not draining my wallet to do it.

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I'm retired. That's right, retired. I don't want to hear about the cop who stopped you today or how you didn't think you should get a ticket. That just makes me grumpy!

I think you are being dramatic or paranoid. Everyone I know has at least 1 rifle and 1 handgun in .22lr. I don't know a single person that shoots well that doesn't shoot .22lr. However, if .22lr is the only thing you shoot, maybe some comments are justified.

My Ruger 22/45 always goes to the pistol range with me. My buddies end up being broke/out of ammo sooner. I switch between the centerfire pistols and the rimfire. Helps my groups and counters any flinch I pick up. I do the same when I shoot rifles. A .22 is always along.

__________________"On bended knee is no way to be free." - Eddie Vedder, "Guaranteed"

"Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walks." -Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to his nephew Peter Carr dated August 19, 1785

Stigma? Anyone that knocks the 22LR just doesn't get it, it's not even worth trying to explain to them. It's like a stage in life you either get it or not.

And anyone that doesn't have found memories of shooting a 22LR some time in their lives is sadly deprived imo. Some of my best memories are shooting 22LR with my grandfather.

Shooting for tiny groups or long distances with a 22LR is challenging and fun! (not to mention cheap)

People see my heavily modded Marlin 795 and say, Wow!
And if anyone ever did knock it I would have them shoot it...

__________________The above is not legal advice. It is just something you read from some dude on the internet. It does not reflect the opinion of Calguns.net. If it seems rude it was probably meant to read sarcastically.